Showcase



Patented Feb. l2, 1924.

UNITED STATES HENRY raannomvr, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOWCASE.

Appncauon mea november is, 1922. seriai no. 601,712.

To all Lv/1.0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FnnnI-romna citizen of the United States, residing in the city ol Chicago, in the countyot' Cook and Sta-te of Illinois, have invented cert-ain new and useful VImprovements in Showcases, oit which the following is a specification.

This y invention pertains to sho7 cases adapted tor the display or' merchandise, and while capable of employment to display merchandise of any preferred kind, it is shown herein, for illustrative purposes, as embodied in a show case for the display and dispensing of cigars.y

One of the purposes of this invent-ion is to provide a show case which will enable the merchandise displayed to be viewed from both the front and the top.

Another object is to provide a show case which can be opened by the manipulation ot a mechanism disposed at the rear of the case, so that the merchandise is accessible from the front of the case, thereby enabling the customer to select his cigars or other articles being vended without removing the articles or the boxes in which theyare contained from the show case.

Another object is toprovide a show case in which a. number of articles can be displayed at different heights,`and `in which the supporting pedestals upon which the articles f are carried may beadj usted to accommodate articles of various heights.

A further feature ofthe invention resides will be easy to manipulate, andv will be convenient both for the customer and the salesman. i

Other objects and advantages of the in-` vention should be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference tothe following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view ot a show case embodying my invention;

, ating parts;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

By reference tothe drawings more indetailit will be observed that the case comprises a base portion Z of hollow construe tion and preferably open at the back, and a body portion S formed integrally with or mounted upon thebase portion. Theenposed front of the body portion is of stepped formation, providing a plurality of display compartments within which the articles fto be displayed and dispensed are arranged.

The' front of each compartment comprises a glass or other transparent plate 9, retained in position by suitable clips 11, and top strips 12, provided with depending fingers 13 between which the upper edgeofthe glass front .is disposed.

The top ot each compartment comprises a glass plate 14- which `is capable ofmovement from the closed position shown` in Figs. 2 and 5 to a vertical positionvat the back of `the compartment, thereby permitting access to .the articles displayed in said.. compartment.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each glasstop is supported near its forward edge by a pairvof rollers 15 carried by brackets 16 attached` to the upper face of `the plate, these rollers being adapted toy travelin guide-ways formed by a groove 17 in the body, covered by the top strip 12. Near its rear end each plate has secured thereto a pair of ears 18 pivotally connected to rods 19, which rods slide in guides 20 and are adjustably` secured by lock nuts 21 to angle i iron supports 22, extending horizontally from front to rear of the base 7. These Supports 22 are carried upon a stand ard 23, preferably oi'. inverted U-shape, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this standard being `connected at its lowerend by means of a bolt 24E with one end or" an operating lever 25, the other end of which is shaped to iorm a pedal 526. The lever 25 is fulcrumed at 2l upon an upright support 28, and the angle irons 22 are guided upon upright guide members 29 and 3l attached to the base 7 and extending through apertures formed in the horizontal webs of the angle irons.

It will be apparent that upon the application of pressure in a downward `direction to the pedal 26, the angle irons 22 and the rods 19 carried thereby will be lifted. Upward movement of these rods carries upwardly the rear edge of each glass top 11i, and as the rollers l5 travel rearwardly in their respective guides the tops will be brought to a substantially7 vertical position to uncover the compartments and permit access to the goods displayed therein. One of these tops in partially open position is illustrated in dotted lines at the left in Fig. 2.' Upward movement of the rods is limited by engagement of a pair of abutments 30 with the top of the base.

The goods are supported upon standards beneath each top, and while any preferred type of merchandise may be displayed in this show case, I have illustrated .cigar boxes 32 as supported upon the standards, each of which comprises a lower hollow portion 33 adapted to telescopically receive a similar upper portion, which is adjustable as to height within the lower portion and locked in adjusted position bya set screw 35. Any preferred type of display shelf may be utilized, but for the display of cigars I prefer a shelf such as is shown, comprising a portion 36 upturned at its rear' as indicated at 37, and a forward portion 38 secured to the portion 37 by slots and screws, this front portion having also an upturned edge 39 which is pulled against the front face of the box 32 by a coil' contraction spring 4l, so that the box is clamped in position on the` support and held against accidental displacement therefrom. lilach pedestal is mounted upon a slide or board 42 which may be withdrawn at the rear of the case when `the rear door 43, which is hinged at del, is lowered into horizontal position. This door when so lowered and suitably supported by links or other well known mechanism, serves as a shelf upon which the board 42 may be supported when withdrawn from the case, thereby permitting access to all of the standards so that the goods may be rearranged or replaced thereon. The board carrying the standards may then be slid forwardly into the case again so as to simultaneously dispose all ofthe articles in proper position in their compartments, so that they may be observed through the ,front glasses 9 and the top glasses .14. When cigar boxes are disposed upon the standards, as illustratedI` the tops of the boxes are opened and positioned in the space back of each glass 9 and between this glass and the support behind it. d

In order to load the case,- the door 48 is opened and the board 42 with the display standards thereon is slid rearwardly onto the door 43, whereupon the goods may be arranged on the standards. The board and standards are then shoved into the case again and the door closed, disposing goods in display position. When aI customer dcsires to Ibe served, .the salesman simply depresses the leve-r with his foot, thereby opening the tops of the various compartments, whereupon the customer may make his select-ion from the exposed articles, Upon the release of the lever 25, it is returned to normal position by gravit-y yassisted by a coil spring 46. A shelf 45 ,exJ tends forwardly at the top of the body portion, and this shelf, which is preferably made of glass, serves as a counter upon which change may be placed or upon which articles may be displayed.

The details of construction illustrated and described are obviously capable olf wide variation without departing from the es-Y sence of the invention, as deiined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a show case the combination of a body having a stepped front, each step `comprising a transparent front and a transparent top, means for supporting an article beneath each top in position to be observed through the front and the top, and mea-ns for elevating the rear edges and sliding the front edges of said tops rearwardly to 10o permit access to the articles displayed.

2. In a show case the combination of a body comprising a plurality of transparent front and top pieces, means for simultaneously opening all of said top pieces, vertically adjustable standards adapted to carry goods in display position beneath4 said tops, and mea-ns whereby said standards may be simultaneously removed from said case. l

In a show case the combination of a hollow body comprising a plurality of transparent top pieces, rollers supporting one edge of each top piece, tracks on which said rollers are adapted to travel, rods supporting the opposite edge of each top piece, means for moving said rods vertically to lift one edge of each top piece, the other edge being carried in a horizontal direction by said rollers and tracks, a board slidable into and out of said body, and a plurality of adjustable display pedestals mounted on said board.

4L. In a show case the combination of a body having a stepped front, the top ot each step comprising u glass plate, a pair of rollers connected to the forward edge ofeach plate, tracks upon which said rollers travel, rods connected to the rear edge of each plate, means for simultaneously moving all of said rods'in a vertical direction to open said tops,

and a vertically adjustable pedestal removf ably mounted beneath each top.

5. In a show case the combination of a body having a stepped front, the top of eaeh step comprising a glass plate, means for simultaneously moving all of said glass plates from horizontal to vertical position, a door normally closing the rear of said body, said door being adapted to swing open into horizontal position to form a shelf, a board disposed within said body and adapted to be Withdrawn therefrom upon said shelf, a plurality of pedestals mounted on said board, each pedestal being verticall adjustable, a shelf carried by each pedesta each shelf comprising `a stationary portion and a movable portion slidably connected thereto, and a spring for urging said movable portion toward the stationary portion to clamp an article in display thereon. y

6. In a show case` the combination of a body 'having a glass front of stepped formation, the riser of each step being stationary and the top of each step being movable from closed horizontal position to open vertical position a pair of rods connected with eaeh top whereby the same is opened and closed, angle bars to which said rods are adjustably connected, means for vertically moving said angle bars and the rods carried thereby,

means for guiding said balrs in their ver-y tical movements, aboardslidably disposed in said body and removable from the back thereof, a door normally closing the back of i the body adapted to form a shelf to support said board When'withdrawn from the body, a plurality of display pedestals mounted on said board, means whereby the height of each pedestal may be adjusted, and a display shelf carried on each pedestal.

HENRY FlEDI-OLM.k 

